Musical instrument



April 11, 1939. v, N ER MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed July 27, i937 2 SheetsSheet 1 mvsm on ET z.

ATTORNEY I April 11, 1939- v E. I. SANDERS 2,153,725

MUS ICAL INSTRUMENT Filed July 27, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 E. meanders INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 11, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Earl V. Sanders, Pawnee, Ill.

Application July 27, 1937, Serial No. 155,968

2 Claims.

My invention relates to musical instruments and more particularly to the tone producing members.

One of the principal objects of my invention is to provide a musical instrument equipped with tone producing members having means for producing the natural as well as the sharp and flat notes of the chromatic scale.

Another object of my invention is to provide a musical instrument of the above described character which is simple in construction and inexpensive as to manufacture.

A further object of my invention is to provide a musical instrument of the above described character having a tubular means for producing notes of a loud, beautiful and sweet-sounding character.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, appended claims and annexed drawings.

Briefly stated, my invention comprises a musical instrument consisting of cylindrical members of the same size, each formed with apertured end sections for producing notes in the chromatic as well as the diatonio scale.

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of my invention, the tone producing members being shown partly in section.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on a line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on a line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a view illustrating a pair of mallets for operating the instrument.

Fig. 6 is a view illustrating a modified form.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on a line I1 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view illustrating another modified form of the tone producing member.

Fig. 9 is a side elevation, partly in section, illustrating still another modified form of tone producing member.

In practicing my invention, in the preferred embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, I employ a base 8 having secured to the upper surface thereof a pair of longitudinally extending supporting strips 9 consisting of a lower section Ill, preferably constructed of wood, and an upper section I I, preferably constructed of felt.

Mounted on said strips are a plurality of tone producing members I2, each member comprising a tubular-shaped body having an intermediate neutral section I3 adapted to be maintained in proper position on the felt sections II by means of guide rods I4. The guide rods are formed with lower threaded ends secured in the base 8 and with upwardly extending sections terminating in offset finger-pieces. The upwardly extending sections extend through aligned openings formed in the body and are wrapped with suitable material, such as silk or the like, to prevent transmission of sound vibrations thereto when the tone producing member is actuated. Manipulation of the rods I4, by means of the finger-pieces, positioning the finger-pieces in transverse order in relation to the body permits of the body being removed from the strips 9.

Each of the tone producing members are of the same relative diameter and length and are fashioned with slotted ends constituting tune sections adapted for actuation to produce natural notes in the chromatic scale. The slot is of a length to permit sufiicient vibration of the parts to produce a note of the required pitch. With particular reference to Fig. 1, beginning at the bottom of the scale and in the direction indicated by the arrow, the section I5 of the member for producing natural C note is formed with a longer slot than the section I6 of the adjacent member for producing the natural D note. Likewise, the sections II, I8, I9, 20, 2|, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26 of the members for producing the natural notes E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E, F and G, respectively, are each of a greater length than the one in the adjacent member in progressive order up the scale.

The members for producing C, D, F, G, A, C, D, F and G are each formed with opposed slotted tune sections I5a, Ilia, l8a, l9a, 20a, 22a, 23a, 25a and 26a, respectively, for producing the sharp or fiat notes in respective order. However, the slots in each of the sections for producing the flat or sharp notes are of a shorter length than the slots formed in the opposed section but longer in relation to the slots formed in the adjacent sections for producing the flat or sharp notes in progressive order up the scale. The members having the sections I1, 2| and 24 are provided with contiguously extending opposed end sections Ila, 2la. and 24a.

It is to be noted that by arranging the members with tune sections I5, I6, l1, l8, I9, 20, 2|, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26, for producing the natural notes, in octave formation, the tune sections are of relative pitch in the diatonic scale and of forming the members having tune sections l5, 16, I8, [9, 20, 22, 23, 24 and 26 with sections Hot, [611, [8a, 19a, 20a, 22a, 23a, 25a, and 26a to produce fiat or sharp notes, the relative pitches of all of said sections are in the chromatic scale.

The slots formed in the tune sections are oppositely disposed in relation to each other and are formed below the horizontal transverse axis of the members whereby the upper portions of the sections are of a greater area than the lower portions. The sections are vibrated in desired order to produce notes by being struck with suitable mallets 3B or the like shown in Fig. 5.

The form illustrated in Figures 6 and '7 comprises a tubular body 40 provided with a slot 4| extending a substantial distance of the length thereof and is formed with an aperture 42 for receiving a suitable supporting member 43. In this form the member is adapted to produce, on the portions formed by the slot, a natural note on one portion and a sharp or flat note on the other portion and is supported in a vertical position.

The modification illustrated in Fig. 9 illustrates a form of tubular body of a substantial square shape in cross section. The modification illustrated in Fig. 9 comprises a body formed with a pair of oppositely disposed slots at one end thereof, one of said slots being of a greater length than the other to efiect a natural and sharp note on the respective portions. The members are constructed of suitable material, for instance, brass tubing and the slots may be formed therein by a cutting operation such as sawing. The members and other parts may be appropriately plated to effect a neat appearance.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that by slotting the tubular members at the ends thereof as heretofore set forth, I am enabled to produce single members having end sections which, when the end sections are vibrated, produce two separate and distinct pure tones.

It is to be distinctly understood that various changes and modifications in construction and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim 1. A musical instrument, comprising, a base, cushioning means secured to said base, a plurality of tone producing members mounted on said base and supported by said cushioning means, each of said members comprising a tubular body of a size corresponding to the others, all of said members having aligned end sections formed with pairs of longitudinally extending slots of a different length than the pair formed in an adjacent member whereby actuation of each of said sections will produce a different natural note in the chromatic scale, some of said members having similar formed slots in the opposite end sections but of a different length whereby actuation of the sections of the last mentioned members are adapted to produce notes of a relative pitch to the notes produced by an opposite disposed respective end section.

2. A musical instrument, comprising, a base, a plurality of tone producing members mounted on said base, each of said members comprising a tubular body of a size corresponding to the others, all of said members having end sections formed with pairs of longitudinally extending slots of a difierent length than the pair formed in an adjacent member whereby actuation of each of said sections will produce a difierent natural note in the chromatic scale, some of said members having similar formed slots in the opposite end sections but of a different length whereby actuation of the sections of the last mentioned members are adapted to produce notes of a difierent pitch to the notes produced by an opposite disposed respective end section.

EARL V. SANDERS. 

